A Time in Chime
by guy640
Summary: Chime is a kingdom under a curse, all its citizens must speak in verse. None of them seem too averse, but what could be worse? Murders, monsters, and terrors diverse distract people from their rhymes, terse. Rhyming story.


Once, in a far away land and long past time, in the distant plains of the kingdom of Chime, was a young woman leaving home at her prime. You see, the woman, Eva was her name, and every night she was haunted with dreams the same. In them she would hear the voice of a dame, and wonder all day from whence it came. Wide awake one day she had come to hear, the voice of the woman that sounded so near, yet far off it came, of that she was clear. So she decided one day, and took her spear, and said "Farewell, mother, I'm gone for this year."

And she traveled by day and she traveled by night, through haunting dark and through blinding light, to wherever she'd hear the sweet singsong plight. Weeks had passed, she'd gone nowhere despite following the voice just precisely right. When her hope had waned and was only slight, she caught a faint gleam at the edge of her sight. Over the horizon it rose like in flight, that castle covered in alabaster and white.

In the very same castle, even longer ago, lived a man named Trent full of lonesome and woe, so he built two new friends and made life in them flow. He named one Courtney, and kept her below in a glass prison for her to show off her talents with violin and bow. The other he named Lindsay and made her of steel, and all he wanted was for her to feel. He taught her a smile, to make an appeal, but a straight face was all that she could reveal. He taught her of sadness, to make an ordeal, but Lindsay only thought of it as surreal.

Once during each night Trent would go downstairs to see Courtney play and show her he cares. Following this, then Courtney shares, her violin music as its filling the airs. Trent would listen and cast up his prayers, then go back to his tower to tend to affairs. Courtney would wait in her globe of glass, rubbing her arms brass upon brass, 'til Trent would come and visit at last, then after so short his visit would pass, and there she'd be again, rubbing brass upon brass.

One day, though, Trent never came down, and Courtney played her wonderful sound to silence and emptiness all around. For Trent was struck by a man in dark brown. Scott was his name and he wanted Trent's crown. Lindsay was there clothed in her gown, and for the first time in her life, she mustered a frown. One look at Trent's face, her eyes began to drown. After a moment, after the math, she looked up at Scott, eyes full of wrath. She rushed to him and cut a path straight through his stomach and made a bloodbath. Unable to cope, she fled from the palace, leaving Courtney but meaning no malice, however callous.

Now you know that we can return to the story, apologies if the last part seemed a bit gory. Anyways, Eva was there, crossing the quarry to reach the white castle still standing in glory. She was hearing a tune and following the song that she had been hearing her whole life long. It lead through the castle and grew very strong, with a violin sound that didn't belong. When the music went downwards she followed along to a sight that upset her, it seemed so wrong.

She saw Courtney there, playing away in a glass ball and pedestal on display. "I'd like a question, if I may. Whose trapped you here in the dark room of gray?"

"None have trapped me here, I stay of my own accord with violin to play. I await my master, though he's had a delay. He lives in the tower and never does stray."

"This castle is empty, left to decay. No others shall come see you this day."

Courtney gasped and turned away. "That is not true, he'd never betray me and miss my ballet!"

"Perhaps not, but what if he's fallen prey of some evil creature or man seeking to slay?"

"Speak it not, you brute!" Courtney shrieked in dismay. "If it is true, a debt must be repaid!"

"Come with me then, I'm searching the land for a girl in my dream whose offered me her hand."

"If only I could search the grass and the sand, but alas I am stuck in this glass where I stand."

Eva then walked up to Courtney and raised her right hand in a fist and launched an attack the glass could not withstand. In the blink of an eye the glass sphere had shattered, the pieces now loose had started to scatter over Courtney's head leaving clothes tattered and battered.

"I am sorry that I had to make such a clatter."

"Do not worry, it is no matter. My skin is of brass, immune to such spatter. Come, let us go, walk and chatter and natter."

So the pair went from plain to plain, looking for the man who'd slain Trent or the girl who would strain her voice singing through her pain.

On their way they found a village so small whose only large feature was a tower so tall. There were no doors or windows in its wall. "What does this mean?" Eva said with a drawl.

"That is our former grand hall," the villager Beth let out a call. "Now it's a prison for the demon and his thralls."

"The voice leads me there, so the gate must fall!" Eva screamed. Beth was appalled.

"You cannot enter, there'd be a brawl! The monsters released and you would be mauled!"

"You will open the gate, you will not stall, or you will have misfortune befall your town and its inhabitants all."

"Fine, if it is death you seek, I will raise the gate to its peak. But don't let out a shriek when the menacing freak and his thralls lie and sneak up on you while you are weak."

And with a mighty creak, the gate of teak rose up and revealed the inside bleak. Eva and Courtney entered the hall covered in bloody streaks. "What monsters have made such havoc wreak?" Courtney's interest had piqued.

"Why do you enter the menagerie? It would be best if you left in a hurry," a boy's voice called out filled with worry.

Eva made out a figure, but her sight was blurry in the dark with shadows slurry. "Who goes there, and why do you scurry?"

"Cody is I, born in a flurry, like the creatures within both scaly and furry."

Courtney spoke out, eyeing the scene, "And by 'flurry,' what do you mean?"

"The monsters in here, have you not seen? They're born from the dreams of a boy of eighteen."

"Born of dreams? Absurd and obscene."

"'Tis truth I speak, do not demean me just because they remain unseen!"

A shattering heard, a breaking of screen. "Another one born, you must convene to the room of that boy locked in his dreams!"

Eva pushed forward with muscles strong and lean, "Take me to him, also the machine."

Courtney huffed at the thought before she saw a sheen, a bright glowing ball in the color of green. It took the shape of a squid and its face turned mean. It let out a roar but was punched in the spleen 'fore it could move and disappeared with a glean.

"Hurry please, and please be keen! He is just this way, sleeping serene." Cody pushed on a door colored sanguine. "Quickly now, we must intervene!" There on a bed was a boy of eighteen wearing a golden crown lined with citrine.

"Wake up, Noah, wake up please!" Cody shouted, sinking to his knees and giving the boy's shoulders a squeeze. Shaking the boy to unease, he slowly opened his eyes, clearly displeased.

"Cody, why act like such a sleaze? I was having a dream about the seas."

"I've come to invite you on a quest. I only wish for the companions best," Eva said, puffing out her chest.

"What is this quest, why should I invest my time into the ventures of someone who infests my home and molests me while I slept abreast?"

"This is a prison, and you are not a guest. You are kept her at the town's behest. While I apologize for breaking your rest, a voice has led me here and stressed to take you with me to the west."

"Fine then, woman, I see protest is useless against your request. Cody, dear, bring to me my steed. Once out of this keep then we can proceed westward in a swift stampede."

The steed was magnificent, and once it was freed, everyone rode as he picked up his speed. The carriage was constructed of tightly-sewn reeds, strong enough to hold the four people indeed. The beast drew on west without stopping to feed for miles and miles until Eva agreed to stop in a cave and inside to proceed.

What a surprise, what they found inside were two children who had came there to hide. The boy didn't talk, and his body was wide. The girl's name was Dawn and their food she had eyed. "We've eaten nothing the cave can't provide, only slugs and fungus, and some grain outside."

"Then, please be my guest, and stride to our carriage and feast alongside my companions, why not take a ride?" Eva swiftly replied.

"Why thank you, madam! We shall stand by your side! Truth be told we have no place to reside."

"What of your parents, have they both died?"

"I've run away from their pride. They are bad people, angry and snide. They hurt my friend here, and then they lied and wished to make me an unhappy bride."

So the six pilgrims left with Noah to steer, following a voice only Eva could hear.

**!-!-!**

**So there it is, my experimental story done entirely in verse... Sort of. Writing this was really fun. I liked some parts better than others, but it was all really fun. Anyways, shoot me a review, tell me what you think. I'm fairly certain this is going to be a two-shot, I don't know quite yet. **


End file.
